STATTON, Percy Clyde
| Service Numbers: | 506, T560 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Volunteer Defence Corps (TAS) |
| Born: | Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia, 21 October 1890 |
| Home Town: | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Zeehan State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Cancer, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 5 December 1959, aged 69 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cornelian Bay Cemetery and Crematorium, Tasmania Cremated |
| Memorials: | Keith Payne VC Memorial Park, North Bondi War Memorial, Winchelsea WWI Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 506, 40th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 506, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 506, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Nov 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 40th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Apr 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 40th Infantry Battalion, Previously promoted to Temp Sgt on 17 Jan 1917. | |
| 9 Jan 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Lieutenant, T560, Volunteer Defence Corps (TAS) |
World War 2 Service
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Lieutenant, T560 |
|---|
WW1
Refer to Google for details of the service of this soldier, and the award of his medals.
Submitted 8 September 2020 by Maxwell HILL
Biography contributed by Robyn Keenan
Percy Clyde Statton VC, MM
Unit:40th Battalion, 10th Brigade, 3rd Division
Percy Statton was born on 21 October 1890 in Beaconsfield Tasmania and attended Zeehan State School. When Statton enlisted on 1 March 1916, he was already married and was working as a farmer at Tyenna.
Statton was posted to the 40th Battalion. In November 1916 his battalion was posted to France with its first major action occurring in June 1917 at Messines. During this battle, Statton completed actions under heavy artillery and machine gun fire for which he was awarded the Military Medal. In October he was wounded and in June 1918, Statton was gassed.
On 12 August 1918 Statton's battalion advanced until stopped by an enemy barrage, near Proyart, France. Over the next few hours Statton performed a number of brave actions, at one point rushing four enemy machine-gun positions armed only with a revolver. He disposed of two of the posts and killed five of the enemy. Later he went out under heavy fire and brought in two badly wounded men. For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Statton came home in November 1919 to a hero's welcome; however, his wife was unhappy about his long absence, and they divorced. He remarried twice more, and worked as a farmer and in the timber industry. In 1934, Statton performed notable rescue work during the Derwent Valley bush fires. He went on to serve with the Volunteer Defence Corp during World War II.
In later life, Statton lived at Ouse, where he was a local councillor. He died on 7 December 1959 in Hobart and was accorded a full military funeral.
Biography contributed by Robert Kearney
Percy Clyde Statton (1890-1959), soldier and farmer, was born on 19 October 1890 at Beaconsfield, Tasmania, son of Edward Statton, miner, and his wife Maggie Lavinia, née Hoskins. Educated at Zeehan State School, he became a farm labourer at Tyenna. On 12 September 1907, giving his age as 21, he married with Methodist forms Elsie May Pearce; they were to have two daughters and a son.
Enlisting as a private in the Australian Imperial Force in March 1916, Statton was posted to the 40th Battalion and reached France in November. A temporary sergeant from January 1917, he was confirmed in rank in April. During the battle of Messines, Belgium, on 7-9 June he conducted carrying parties to the front line under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire; he was awarded the Military Medal for his actions. Wounded in October in the 3rd battle of Ypres, he was gassed at Villers-Bretonneux, France, on 10 June 1918.
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/statton-percy-clyde-8631 (adb.anu.edu.au)
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